One of the most useful ways that you can help yourself is by employing tidy files. This is done through clear and concise layer naming conventions as well as labeling different components of your model with specific names. This can also translate into the way you name your files. For instance, when making a model, I always save it out with a name, date and version number like this:
“ShelfSystem_82712_v1.3dm”
The first part of the file name tells me what it is, the next block of numbers tells me when it was made and the third portion tells me what iteration of the model it is. This becomes very useful when you are making multiple versions over a long period of time. Some people argue to put the date first so that you can quickly sort the models by “name” and with the date first, the numbers should fall into sequence. I don’t need to do this because my files are always named the same thing within the directory that they live and only the version (“v1”) changes.
Using this method is a little bit slow in the beginning because it is a new routine to fall in line with. But after a while, it will become second nature and your models will become more organized and easier to navigate!